Creating Multiple Highlighter Tools

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 9, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365


Rob uses different colors of highlighting for different purposes, all in the same document. He finds it very tedious to change color each time he wants to highlight something. Rob wonders if it is possible to set up multiple highlighters, each with a different color, so that it only takes a single click to pick which highlighter color he wants to use.

A good number of people suggested the approach of creating a style to handle this. The problem is, you cannot use a highlighter color as part of a style definition. All you can do is to specify in the definition either a text color or a background shading color. It is this second item (a background shading color) that is closest to a highlighter color, but they are still not quite the same in how they are treated by Word.

Assuming you really need to use highlighter colors, the only real way to do it is to create macros that apply each of the colors you want used. Each macro would be quite short. For instance, here is the macro to apply the yellow color to the selected text:

Sub HLYellow()
    Selection.Range.HighlightColorIndex = wdYellow
End Sub

Note that the color is assigned to the text using a color enumeration (constant) at the right side of the equal sign. The 15 possible colors that apply to the Highlighter tool's palette are as follows: wdYellow, wdBrightGreen, wdTurquoise, wdPink, wdBlue, wdRed, wdDarkBlue, wdTeal, wdGreen, wdViolet, wdDarkRed, wdDarkYellow. wdGray50, wdGray25, and wdBlack. In addition, if you want to remove the highlighter color, you can use the wdNoHighlight constant.

The trick is to create a short macro, just like this for each color you want to apply. (And, of course, the one that removes the highlighter color.) You can then add each of the macros to your Quick Access Toolbar or, if you prefer, associate a shortcut key with each of the macros so you can apply the highlighting using a shortcut. (How you add macros to the QAT or associate a shortcut key with them has been covered in other WordTips.)

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (2608) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Goal Seeking

Excel provides a great tool that is helpful in figuring out what certain variables should be in your formulas. This tip ...

Discover More

Hiding Errors on Printouts

If there are error values in a worksheet, you may not want those error values to appear on a printout. Excel actually ...

Discover More

Displaying the Selected Cell's Address

Need to know the address of the cell that is currently selected? The function and macro highlighted in this tip will come ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Translating Text

Word includes several different tools you can use to improve your writing. One such tool is the translation tool. Here's ...

Discover More

Crosschecking Citations and References

Word allows you to enter citations and references within your document. If you need to develop these types of documents, ...

Discover More

Creating a Transcription

In many offices, it is necessary to covert audio files (such as meeting recordings) into text. Some versions of Word have ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 1 + 0?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.